...
Chinese
chronicles and historical
sources reveal two
areas in which lesbianism was
common: the harem
and certain provinces
in Canton. In ancient
China keeping concubines
was a privilege
of the emperors
or the wealthy. A
man's wealth was
measured by the
number of concubines
he
kept.
"A duke can
take nine concubines
at one time, an
emperor can take twelve concubines at one time," is
a passage found in the Kung-yang Tsuen. The
Li-Chi (The Book of Rites) states
that until the
age of 50
a husband should enter
the pleasure pavilion of
his wife once
every third day, of his
concubines every fifth day.
But the number
of concubines made
this prescription a physical impossibility. The
lack of sexual outlet,
the social isolation, and
the close proximity
of women made
the harem a
fertile ground for the development of lesbian relationships. Van
Gulik (1961) and Humana and
Wang (1971) have
described such practices
in detail. In addition to pudendal
contact, clitoral
stimulation, and cunnilingus,
the use of artificial penises
was also favored.
The existence of
various artificial penises made
of polished ivory
or lacquered wood serves
to illustrate the degree
of sophistication of
lesbian practice in
China. In a
Ming period painting, such
a dildo is illustrated in a
lesbian love scene. A double-~nded dildo with two loops of silk
cord in the middle was also
used to enable both partners to
obtain simultaneous pleasure. Lesbian
practice was also encouraged by the husband in order to help him
conserve his sexual
energy. The legendary Yellow Emperor,
in his chapter called Hsiian-nui-Ching,
described the following posture:
Lady Precious Yin and Mistress White
Jade lay on top. of each other, their legs entwined so that their jade gates
(genitalias) pressed together. They then moved in a rubbing and jerking fashion
against each other like fishes gabbing flies or water plants from the surface.
As they became more excited, the "mouths" widen and Lesbianism in the Chinese of Hong Kong 23 choosing his position carefully, Great
Lord Yang thrusts between them with his jade root (penis). They moved in unison
until all three shared the ultimate simultaneously. The triple flow of essence
will strengthen bones and sinews as well as the breathing. It will
also assist the Great
Lord Yang to
avoid the Five
Overstrainings and the Seven Sex-injuries.
In the harem, women turned to lesbianism because of
social isolation. In the provinces of
Canton, on the other hand, women who were free and economically independent
formed lesbian relationships. Chen
(1928) described the practice
of lesbianism among
women employed in the
silk industry in three
provinces: Shun-te, P'an-Yii,
and Hsi-Ch'iao. The Gazetteer of
Chinese Customs (1935) documented the
formation of the Golden
Orchid Association in these
provinces. The members of this
association were exclusively females.
Whenever two members
of the association developed
deep feelings for
each other, certain
rites of "marriage"
were performed. For such a
"marriage" to be permitted,
one partner was designated the "husband." The first step
consisted of offering to the intended partner
a gift of peanut candies,
honey, and other sweets. Once this was accepted, a
night-long celebration attended by mutual female friends followed. From then on
the couple would live as "man and wife." Sexual practices
like genital contact called "grinding bean curd" or the use of dildos
were described. The couple could also adopt female children and these children
could inherit the property of their "parents".
...
Anyone who's heard a group
of men discuss the virtues of high-end stereo equipment will have little
trouble believing that men's and women's brains work differently. That's also
no surprise to scientists, who have spent the past two decades trying to figure
out which aspects of cognition and behavior are determined by nature and which
by nurture. The verdict: Female and male brains differ in both structure and
function, and many of those variations start in the womb. It's no longer:
"Is there a difference?" It's: "What do these differences mean?"
